Hyaluronic Acid- A Review
These ideas are so much better Shared!!
Although I am still waiting to get an MRI of my knees, which means we don’t yet know what is going on in them in terms of the soft tissues, I was offered Hyaluronic Acid injections in my knees as a pain relief measure at the UC Health Pain Management Clinic here in Loveland.
Steroid injections are not recommended for individuals with connective tissue disorders, so Cortisone is not an option for me. There is a stem cell treatment that is FDA approved, but Medicaid doesn’t cover it, and the will not allow anyone on Medicaid to pay for it out-of-pocket.
With those two options ruled out, this leaves the hyaluronic acid injections, which apparently ARE covered by Medicaid. The hyaluronic acid is meant to lubricate the knee for 3-6 months at a time.
This treatment consists of three injections in each knee, each given a week apart (two weeks total from beginning of the treatment to the finish).
Let me say first and foremost that this option is not for the weak. It hurts. It hurts a lot. It hurts in intense waves that continue for quite some time after the injection is over.
The injection itself is quick. The needle goes into the knee behind the patella (knee-cap), and moves through the soft tissue of the knee to the space in the middle.
I recommend brushing up on the Lamaze style pain relief measures before getting these injections. Breathing, meditation, moaning, stimming, and dissociating are all quite useful.
I had a hot flash along with the injections each time, and feeling relief/calm again also comes in waves following the procedure. It’s like slowly descending a flight of stairs, and with each step (about 2-5 minutes) I would feel my system release a little, relax a little, and calm down.
Give yourself time to get back to yourself.
My knees felt very pressurized for a few days following each injection. Admittedly, the third injection was just today, but I do feel the pressurized sensation the same as the other two times. This inhibits squatting and kneeling. Sitting is uncomfortable.
The third set of injections were given 4 hours ago. I’m much more comfortable walking than I was when I got back home.
Everything feels overstimmy for a while following the injections. (Give yourself and others grace!)
Both injections combined probably last less than 10 minutes to administer. This 10-minute time-span is utterly exhausting. I have felt extremely drained for the last 4 hours.
Truth be told, it was not easy to make myself to back for the third round.
I looked optimistically forward to childbirth and c-sections, and I absolutely dreaded the last two rounds of this.
Why did I go back?
It seems to be helping.
This morning I woke up at a solid 8 in pain after absolutely writhing last night, but my knees were like a 2. I’m used to them not only hurting all the time, but also functionally fighting me, and I noticed a marked improvement of both my pain experience, AND their functionality within the first 4 days.
The Depravity is Utterly Shocking!!!
Both pain level and functionality improved even more after the second set. It improved so much that I had a lot of difficulty convincing myself that the third set was actually necessary, and that the first two weren’t “good enough.”
I’m happy to report that my hips also seem to be doing better because they aren’t having to compensate as much for my knees. I’m really hopeful for what exercise this might open up to enable me to be more mobile.
It was absolutely horrible. Connie, who gave me the injections is absolutely wonderful, but the procedure is wretched-
And absolutely worth it.
It says a lot when you need relief this bad, and I am beyond grateful to have been afforded this option.
Look forward to updates about my knees as the third injection round gives me it’s full benefit. I’ll keep you posted in 3-6 months when I need to have them again.
Nothing like this is available for my hips.
If you have any questions or comments please feel welcome to reach me at ProtyusAGendher@gmail.com.
These ideas are so much better Shared!!
Operation **Reclaim** Loveland 
What do you think?